Train derails in Mattawamkeag

MATTAWAMKEAG, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- A train carrying crude oil through Maine to Canada derailed in an area off of Route 2 between Winn and Mattawamkeag around 5:30 Thursday morning.

Representatives from Pan Am, the company that owns the train and the tracks said the company will be doing an investigation to determine the cause of the derailment.

The track is class one track, meaning freight trains can go no faster than 10 miles an hour. The Federal Railroad Adminstration says the train was traveling at that speed. It is also investigating the derailment, but says it could be several months before the report is complete.

In the meantime, Pan Am crews will work to clean up the mess. Crews on the scene say the work could affect traffic on Route 2, and that it will be a while before the derailment is cleaned up.

"Its going to take about two, three days trying to clean the mess up," said Robert Powers of the Mattawamkeag Fire Department. "The team that's here, and the more that are on the way, I'm confident that we won't have any issues."

The Federal Railroad Agency also said that over the summer, they inspected the track the train was running on and told Pan Am that rail ties needed to be replaced. Pan Am said that they had replaced the all rail ties in the area of the train's derailment prior to Thursday's accident.